The Ice Maker

Our refrigerator came with an ice maker but I had never taken the time to hook it up to a water line. This summer I got industrious, ran to the store for the parts, hooked up the ice maker, and waited for the blessing of ice.

As I waited I remembered something I learned a long time ago. I worked for a time at a heat and air conditioning company that also sold appliances including refrigerators. I was listening to the owner explain the ice maker to a customer one day when I heard him say, “After you get it home it takes about two weeks for the ice maker to start working properly. After that you will have all the ice you need.”

I questioned him at the time about the “two weeks.” I knew how they worked and mechanically there was no reason why it would not work from the time you install it. He explained to me that two weeks was the average time it takes for the customer to stop opening the freezer door and checking on the progress of the ice maker. It was a lesson on patience that had nothing to do with the ice maker itself.

Jesus said, “Do not worry…for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (Matthew 6:31-33)

There is no substitute for time. There is no substitute for time spent in a relationship. There is not substitute for time spent in a relationship with a person or with God. Discipleship takes time. Marriage takes time. Friendship takes time.

Bro. Robin

The Finished Product

I enjoy wood working projects. I have made shelves, entertainment centers, hope chests, and step stools among other things. My favorite part of the project is that point when it is all put together but before I apply the stain. There is something about looking at the raw wood that I cut, shaped and put together that gives me a feeling of accomplishment. I know I still have to finish the project and I will have a different feeling about it when it is completely finished and ready to be used.

I always enter the finishing phase with a feeling of hesitation. When I apply the stain I know from experience that the first application of color will reveal every imperfection in the wood. As the stain is applied I will see if my hands were invisibly dirty and left fingerprints that now become dark smudges. I can now also see if I was careless with my sanding and left scratches going the wrong way or did not sand enough so that a fine bristle of wood stands up like five o'clock shadow.

All of those imperfections are fixable. I have to sand it again with care to correct the imperfections and apply more stain. When the stain is right and I am pleased with the look I am ready to apply a hard clear finish to protect the stain and make the project ready for use.

Paul said, "For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus." (Philippians 1:6 NAS) The day we gave our lives to Jesus we changed. We crossed over from being an unfinished project of our own to being His project to finish. Before He touched us our hands were dirty and we were rubbed the wrong way. He applied the first coat and revealed all our imperfections. He applied, and is still applying, the sandpaper to remove the flaws and smooth the roughness. He makes us useful for His purpose.

I'm glad He is still working on me. I look forward to being finished in Christ.

Bro. Robin

God Bless You

Walking on a sidewalk in the winter a stranger passed me with all the obvious signs of a cold. When he sneezed I said, “God bless you.” Then I added, “Have you prayed for that?” He replied, “I don’t need to pray for it, I already have it.”

At first I thought he was being smart but then I realized that his cold had made him irritable. I also thought later how we often say things without thinking what they truly mean.

“God bless you!” It seems like we are too often either saying it or hearing it this winter. Whether it is for a sneeze or a cough we say it without thinking. We say it as a blessing like a prayer for quick healing. We might even think we are saying it as a shield to keep from getting whatever is going around at the moment.

There are viruses and the flu making the rounds this winter. Some families are getting it all at once. Others pass the virus from person to person until the unhappy parents feel like they are having an unending season of sickness. No one likes to be sick or wants to constantly take care of someone who is. But, because we love each other we show up with care, prayer, and say “God bless you,” a lot.

To bless someone is to pray for their happiness. Only God can truly bless because only God has the power to insure that what He says will happen. When we say, “Bless the Lord,” as we see in the Bible, we are offering ourselves for God to use as a blessing for His service. A blessing is a request for God to do something good for the person you are blessing. We can be specific, “God bless you with…” and finish the prayer with the happy desire you have for them. Most of the time we give the general blessing, “God Bless you,” trusting God for health, in the case of a sneeze, or happiness as God chooses to bless us.

All of God’s blessings are good. James said, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father…” (James 1:17 NKJV)

God bless you. Have you blessed anyone today?

Bro. Robin

Double Dipping

Every year at Christmas time we get the family together for a day of candy making. The kitchen becomes a symphony of laughter, dishes, and wonderful smells as we all work together. We make brittles, truffles, fudges,and hand dip a variety of cookies, pretzels, and crackers.

One of our favorites is peanut butter and cracker sandwiches dipped in chocolate. It was the end of the day and the men and boys had retreated to the shop to work on a Christmas surprise for the children. Brandon, 2, and Avery, 3, wanted to help.  Nanna gave them shakers of sprinkles and set them on stools to decorate the freshly dipped chocolate delights.

Avery was immediately a pro and tried to show Brandon how it was done. Brandon, paying no attention to his sister, did his best. He sprinkled the candy glitter but accidentally touched the fresh chocolate. No problem. He simply licked the chocolate off his shaker and went on to the next one. But this time his action was more deliberate as he dipped his shaker in the wet chocolate and then licked it off the lid. All the while Avery was saying, “No Brandon, you’re not getting enough sprinkles on it.” It was obvious by the look on his face that Brandon was doing just fine.

Double dipping is cute when a two-year-old does it. As adults we know double dipping is not appropriate. We know better than to lick the spoon and put it back in the bowl!

Jesus welcomes double dippers. He said, “Ask, and it will begiven to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.”(Luke 11:7 NKJV) 

The language of this verse tells us that we should continuously ask, seek, and knock and He will continue to respond to us. You can keep coming back to Jesus and He will always be there for you. His answers are always relevant, His forgiveness is always complete, and His knowledge is always perfect.

Bro. Robin

Be Holy

My daughter was busy making a pot of chicken chili for us to enjoy. As the pot got warm she reached for a wooden spoon to stir with.

“Not that spoon!” Joyce said as she reached for the spoon. “That’s the bread spoon.”

“Oh,” she said, “I forgot.” And she handed her mother the spoon.

It was an honest mistake. In the crock with all the spoons and spatulas there is one special spoon. It is a long-handled spoon that was hand carved by an uncle of Joyce’s. It is used for only one purpose - the making of bread. We make sure that no other smells or flavors touch that spoon so that it will not affect the flavor of the bread.

We all know this and respect the special purpose of the bread spoon. The reason is simple. We love the taste of Joyce’s homemade bread.

When I think about the bread spoon I am reminded of the meaning of holiness. The meaning of holiness is to be set apart for God’s purpose. Likewise, Joyce’s wooden spoon is set apart for one purpose and if the spoon is used for any other purpose it can become tainted. If we give ourselves to an unholy purpose we too will become tainted.  

¹⁵ But as the One who called you is holy, you also are to be holy in all your conduct; ¹⁶ for it is written, Be holy, because I am holy. (1 Peter1:15-16 HCSB)

When we keep ourselves holy we will have joy in our lives because we are living according to God’s holy purpose.

Bro. Robin

Respect All Life

I pastored a church that had a parsonage directly behind the church offices. It was convenient for me because a sidewalk connected our back door with the back door of my office. It was convenient for the church because we shared a back yard and that meant I would keep it mowed, along with the yard in front of the office.

One day I was walking the yard in preparation to mow and I noticed a small hole in the ground about the size of a man’s fist. When I investigated the hole I saw that there were four baby rabbits in it.  I knew they were too small to survive on their own.

I called the local veterinarian and she explained how the mother leaves them and checks on them at morning and night.  She said they would probably be fine. The hard part came after I mowed around them. The children found them and I had to keep them from playing with the baby rabbits.

The veterinarian was pleased with our concern for the rabbits. Their family soon became involved in our church. She told me later that anyone who cared for the welfare of wild rabbits would also be concerned about the welfare of her family.

This week we observed another anniversary of Roe v. Wade. It is a sad reminder that our generation has lost their respect for life. I think about the mass shootings and terrorist acts that have taken place in the last couple of decades. The blame that goes around includes guns, medications, and radical religious ideas. No one blames a culture of death that trivializes the termination of the least among us. It is time for us to stop and remember that life has value and is worth living.

Respect for life is about respect for all life. Jesus said, “Look at the birds of the sky…your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you worth more than they?”(Matt. 6:26 HCSV) Jesus valued life. Respect for life means that we value and honor life.

Bro. Robin

The Cost

We have a tradition at Christmas that we started a few years ago. Joyce makes everyone new pajama pants and we wear them with a t-shirt of our choice all day on Christmas. It is again that time of year and we are all picking out our flannel for the pants. Joyce told me that she had found the perfect one for me so one afternoon we were off to the fabric store. She was right. It was black with deer heads and I liked it.

We took the fabric to the counter and they measured out three yards. There was only another three-fourths of a yard left so Joyce said she would take it and they told her she would get an end of the bolt discount. The attendant punched in the numbers and on her screen was a total of 3375.000 yards at $5.99 a yard for a grand total of $20,216.25! The machine quietly and automatically added the numbers to the paper receipt along with the words, “Reason: End of Bolt Discount.”

Joyce looked at the screen and said, “Ummmm…ma'am, I think there is a mistake. I only wanted 3 yards of flannel for pajama pants. That's rather high…”

She then looked at me, laughed, and said, “I love you honey, but not that much.”

We have all had a good laugh as we shared this story with our friends. Some have asked for pajama pants for their families. We could clothe everyone we know with that amount of cloth! Others have said it was a good thing we got the discount. I thought about it later and remembered the words of a chorus:

“He paid a debt He did not owe;
I owed a debt I could not pay;
I needed someone to wash my sins away.
And, now, I sing a brand new song,
“Amazing Grace.”
Christ Jesus paid a debt that I could never pay.

(Ellis J. Crum)

Paul said: “He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. Therefore, brethren, we are debtors…” (Romans 8:11b-12a NKJV)

Jesus looks at our sin debt and He does not laugh or dispute the cost. Jesus loves us that much and more.

Bro. Robin